By Elise McArdle

Christopher Ramaekers is the new director for this year’s Chamber Orchestra, and he said he has some big ideas for the group.

“My plan is really to explore this great music that would better be performed by a group other than the symphony orchestra,” Ramaekers said.  “We’re doing a piece by Vivaldi and a very early symphony by Mozart. Both the pieces are for really small orchestras, so it’s not something that’s best played by a symphony.”

The Orchestra is a select group of students from the larger Symphony Orchestra, which Ramaekers will also direct, composed of similar instruments but fewer in number. They play classical music in a smaller, more intimate setting.

The Chamber Orchestra will perform at 3 p.m. Oct. 13, in Light Recital Hall.

Before taking over as director, Ramaekers conducted a variety of orchestras in Chicago and received the 2011 American Prize in Orchestral Conducting.

Chamber orchestra repertoire typically spans from Baroque music to more recent music. There are fewer options for material compared to a regular orchestra because the music has to be suited to the sound of a smaller group.

Ramaekers’s said his plans for the rest of the year include pairing older music with 20th century compositions.

For the concert in November, the Chamber Orchestra is going to be performing a piece by an American composer called David Diamond, Ramaekers said.

“It’s a much more modern piece, it was written in the ‘40s, as opposed to a couple hundred years ago,” Ramaekers said.

As for the upcoming concert, the music of 17th century composers Vivaldi and Mozart will be featured. Ramaekers said the styles of these composers are expressive and clear, and the pieces work well in a chamber music setting.

“It’ll be very cheerful music,” Ramaekers said. “It will be much lighter than the sound of the symphony orchestra. It’s going to sound lighter and more intimate.”

Senior Emma McAlister is on her fourth year playing violin for Chamber Orchestra. She said she is excited to see the students’ efforts on display in the performance.

“We put a lot of time and effort into it,” McAlister said. “It’s really rewarding to see it come together.”

McAlister said she thinks Whitewater students who see the performance will be impressed by what the Chamber Orchestra has accomplished with the music.

“It’s going to be a great concert,” McAlister said. “We put a lot of hard work into it.”